Tags
by TeamXtremexfan
Summary: The dog tags had been Abby Stark since she found them tucked away among her grandfathers possessions. The words were almost weathered away, barely even visible but she could still make them out as clear as the day they were etched onto the metal: James Bucanan Barnes. What happens when she comes face to face with the man who once owned them, when he can't remember who he is?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer. I do not own anything Marvel affiliated, only any original characters.

A muffled giggle was the first thing Tony heard as he pushed open the door to his study. His lips curled up into a smile, spying a pair of light up shoes just peeking out from beneath the large mahogany desk. He whistled, moving leisurely through the room, looking every now and again at the desk to his left. Hopping up and taking a seat on the desk, he heard another hushed laugh beneath where he sat.

"J.A.R.V.I.S. your certain you cannot find Abby anywhere?" He called out to the empty room, trying to keep the mirth out of his voice.

"I'm afraid I cannot find Miss Stark on the grounds sir." The A.I. replied, amusement filtering through his program. "Shall I make a call to the police?"

"The Police! J.A.R.V.I.S this is my baby girl, my pride and joy! We need to call the SWAT Team, the Coast Guard, the Ma-" before Tony could finish, loud laughter filled the room as a head of auburn curls popped up from behind the desk.

"It's OK daddy, I'm here." The little girl exclaimed. Tony pressed his hand to his chest exaggeratedly as he moved from the desk, scooping her up in his arms before pressing kisses to her face.

"Oh my little sprout I found you!" He exclaimed dramatically. When he looked down into an almost identical face, he saw the suspicion swirling in her brown eyes, a thin eyebrow raising up slightly.

"You knew I was here huh?" Yep, she was his daughter he thought, taking a seat in the chair with her in his lap.

"First rule of hiding, loose the light up sneakers kiddo." He said, gently tapping the tip of her nose. "Now miss snoop, what were you doing in my office?" Tony watched as his daughter's eyes looked around, not meeting his.

"I wasn't snooping, I was exploring." she replied confidently, only to be met with a snort from her father.

"Bullsh- soup." Tony quickly caught himself before the curse slipped from his lips. He didn't need a repeat of when his two year old went two months constantly yelling the word 'fuck' every time she could.

Glinting light caught his eyes, his hand moving to pull at a chain hanging around her neck, the majority of the item hiding behind her dark red coveralls. When he pulled the item fully into view, he found a pair of dog tags pressed to his palm. A pair of very old dog tags by the look of slightly at the chain, Abby played with the tags, her eyes scouring over the faded letters and numbers etched onto the metal.

"I found them in that box daddy. There really cool. Can I keep them?" Pointing a finger to the direction, Tony's eyes followed, falling on an old cardboard box tucked away in the corner. It had come from one of the many secure storage facilities under his father's name. The last few weeks Tony had decided to go through them, throwing things that were not needed and keeping those that could be useful. The box in his office had been filled with nothing but old photos and a few odds and ends that Tony had not even gotten through. Taking the tags of the chain, he brought them up to have a closer look.

_JAMES B. BARNES_ _32557038 T42 43 A_

"Whose James Barnes daddy?"Abby questioned, her brown eyes looking up quizzically at her father.

"Well he was someone your grandfather knew when he was helping the military. He fought with Captain America." At the name, Abby's eyes widened, her smile growing.

"Really! That's so cool! Oh daddy can I keep them please, please, please?" Tony knew she had him cornered, especially when he noticed the puppy dog look creeping into her eyes. He shrugged, quickly ruffling her hair. It wasn't a huge loss to him, just some old dog tags.

"Sure sprout. Now if we are done ransacking daddy's office I believe a Popsicle is in order." Abby squealed as she suddenly found herself hanging upside down, Tony's grip on her waist secure as he carried her from the room, the tags, clinking around her neck.

_**Washington D.C. February 2014**_

Glancing down at her watch for what felt like the millionth time, Abby huffed as her heeled feet tapped a rhythm into the floor. It was nearing 10 am, only an hour before the exhibit would be opening to the public. She could faintly make out the sounds of the press and crowds gathered outside the Smithsonian, waiting to finally see one of the most anticipated exhibits to be featured to date. Workers milled about, finishing up last minute touches before the grand opening, making sure everything was ready to go.

Abby's eyes wandered from her watch and towards the large mural decorating the entrance, a smile tugging at her lips as she took in the face of Captain America. The exhibit had been her pet project, starting out a year ago while she had been taking the reins of the outreach program of STARK Industries.

Growing up, she had loved the history of her grandfather and the rise of S.H.I.E.L.D., particularly in regards to the creation of Captain America. She had remembered going through files that had been kept by her grandfather, files deemed classified to anyone else without the Stark last name. She had loved when her history class spoke on the subject, enthralled with every detail of Captain Rogers and the Howling Commandos as they worked to eliminate Hydra.

Her fingers moved, absentmindedly toying with the chain around her neck, the tags clinking together as they bumped against each other. The dog tags belonging to one James Buchanan Barnes had hung around her neck since the day she had stumbled across them in her dads study. At the time, the name had not really meant anything to her until she started learning about the super soldier and his team. While Captain America was always the sole focus during lessons, for some unknown reason Abby was always drawn to his best friend. He had no super soldier serum nor super strength, just the fierce determination to do good for his country, to stand with his best friend and team, to lay down his life for what he believed was right.

The fact that he had also been an extremely handsome man, a crooked smile gracing her history textbooks, didn't hurt either.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Quickly turning around, she let out a relieved sigh as she made her way over to the employee entrance.

"Cutting it pretty close there Rogers. You know you could just hang around for the grand opening, you know razzle dazzle the press. Technically this is your exhibit." Abby pointed out getting an amused snort from Steve.

"Think my dancing monkey days are over Abby." He quipped, his eyes moving over to the entrance. She knew how weird this still was to him, having a whole wing of the Smithsonian dedicated to him and his accolades.

Trying to lighten the mood, she nudged his shoulder playfully before making her way towards the doors. "Well come on frosty, you got a good hour before this place is flooded with fans and press." Steve fell in step with the youngest Stark, heading for the doors.

Time seemed to slow as the two friends wandered around the area, moving from one artifact to another. Abby hung back slightly, watching as Steve took in every display, watching the emotions play across his face. She laughed a bit along with him as she had stood next to the changing display of him pre-serum ( "Wow capsicle you were smaller than me!"), she listened as he recounted stories of him and Howling Commandos, his eyes locked on the mannequins displaying the uniforms each of them had worn. She had watched as he fought back tears when they watched the film reels of Peggy Carter, recounting her own stories of the war and Steve. Abby had moved her hand, taking his and giving it a squeeze.

She had noticed the shift as soon as his eyes found it. Steve walked slowly, almost afraid to approach the display. She watched as a myriad of emotions played across his face: confusion, realization, sorrow, pain. They both stood silent, staring at the face of one James Buchanan Barnes. They could hear one of the many voice recordings, giving the same information etched onto the glass before them but neither really paid any attention.

"Do you miss him?" She knew it was a stupid question, one she already knew the answer to.

"It's been nearly 70 years but for me...it feels like it just happened you know." Steve said quietly, never taking his eyes off the memorial for the man who had been his brother.

Abby moved her hand, pulling the dangling chain from underneath her blouse, pulling it over her head as she turned to Steve. "When I was a kid I was looking, or as my dad called it snooping through his office and found these tucked into an old box of my grandfathers."

Tentatively Steve reached for the chain, recognizing the tags instantly for what they were. She saw the ghost of a smile touch his lips as he looked over the worn letters. "These were Bucks old tags. Had them when he first shipped out. When the SSR gave him news ones with the rest of the Howling Commandos, he kept these, said they helped him hold onto himself when Hydra captured him."

"At the time I just thought they were cool to wear and all. By the time we got to learn about you all in school," shrugging her shoulders she continued, "I admired all of you of course but something about Bucky just resonated with me. He didn't have any real superpowers like you. He was just someone who wanted to do right by his country and stood with his best friend." Chewing her lower lip the next words were a little harder to force out. "Um you should keep them I mean Bucky was your best friend and all."

Steve looked from the tags to Abby, his lips twitching up in a small smile before placing the chain back around her neck. "Keep them safe for me. I think he would have rather have a pretty dame wearing them than me keeping a hold of them." Abby smiled, her hand slightly clutching the tags, relief washing through her.

"Thanks Stevie." Wanting to lighten up the somber mood she grabbed his hand, nearly dragging him across the exhibit. "All right time to see those old war bond promos you made."

The only answer she received back was a groan.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer. I do not own anything except my original characters.**_

_**(Thanks for the feedback and views guys! I hope you all enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it.)**_

"Remind me again how I got talked into this?" Abby snorted, looking up from her suitcase as she watched her father fiddle around with his own.

"Because you love Pepper and could never say no to her." Abby continued with her task, zipping her suitcase closed before setting it on the floor by her feet. "Honestly dad you're freaking out over nothing. It's one week without technology, I have faith you can go without it."

Abby couldn't help the chuckle at the pout on her father's face, as he slumped back into a chair. "But camping, of all things? She couldn't have asked me to whisk her off to some remote private island or the Swiss Alps?" Abby walked over, perching herself on the arm of the chair he had been occupying, nudging his shoulder.

"Yellowstone is pretty amazing. I think you'll have a wonderful time." she smiled encouragingly, patting his shoulder as he continued to pout.

"Still pouting I see." Pepper asked, amusement in her voice as she walked into the room, setting her already packed bag by the door.

"You sure you want to take this one camping? He may not survive it." Abby joked, both women laughing as Tony rolled his eyes.

"Oh har har laugh it up. You two are evil you know that." He pointed at both of them, his voice stern but his eyes giving away the playfulness behind them.

"You know the offer stands for you to still join us." Pepper stated.

Abby smiled, shaking her head slightly. "As fun as seeing my dad go through tech withdrawals would be, I'll pass. Plus, I need to get back to D.C. Knowing Fury I'll have a whole heap of projects waiting back there for me." she said, flopping back onto the bed. It was a given she would most likely have work waiting back in D.C. for her plus her and Fury needed to have words. Steve had heard from Steve about the Lemurian Star mission. She agreed with Steve, keeping him in the dark could have caused the mission to go south side quickly and she was ready to lay it into Fury.

"Don't forget the 100-year-old man waiting back there for you." Abby took the pillow closest to her and launched it at her smirking father, the pillow doing no damage as it bounced off his chest. "Hope you're taking it easy on him, you know old bones and all. He could break a hip."

"First off, eww. You're my dad and that's slightly creepy. Second Steve is my best friend alright, nothing more." Abby pointed out for what felt like the millionth time. She knew how much her dad loved poking at her friendship with the captain knowing how much it annoyed her.

"Stop tormenting your daughter or I'm extending our camping trip an extra week Stark." Pepper threatened. That instantly shut her father up.

"Alright, noted." he said leaning up to press a kiss to Peppers cheek before standing from the chair and walking over to the bed, taking a seat next to Abby. "In all seriousness, it was good to have you for a while. You know, we could use you more around the tower? Fury would survive without that brain of yours." Tony said, tapping her forehead for emphasis. Abby was used to this talk. She had thought about taking the bait, moving back to New York and taking up the charity outreach of Stark Industries full time. She was already doing it part time and while she truly loved being able to help those who really needed and benefited from the many scholarships and foundations, her work with S.H.I.E.L.D. was something she enjoyed. While she didn't have super strength or a suit made of iron, she knew her brain could be just as beneficial.

"I know dad. But with your ticker all working and taking a step back who's going to keep Fury in line or come up with new nicknames for the Ice Queen." Tony smiled, moving to press a kiss to the side of her head.

"Well you're not wrong there sprout. Offer always stands though alright."

"I know. Now you need to finish packing. Your guys flight leaves in less than an hour. Now, hand it over." Abby said, holding her hand out to her father. Tony scoffed, looking away from her as he crossed his arms. But he was soon met with the piercing gaze of one Miss Pepper Potts. Reluctantly he dug through his pocket, pulling his phone out and handing it over to Abby.

"And your backup phone." Tony went to argue but seeing the look on his daughter's face knew it would be futile. Muttering under his breath he dug into his pocket, producing a second one before placing it in Abby's hand.

"God, I feel so exposed." Tony said over dramatically as both women rolled their eyes. Abby handed the phones to Pepper who left the room, most likely to put the phones in the safe.

"You'll be fine dad, I will be fine, the world will be fine." Abby said patting his shoulder as he moved back to packing, grumbling the whole time under his breath.

Later, she would look back on her choice of words like an utter dumb ass.

_**The next morning**_

Morning flights sucked. As the plane started its descent into Ronald Reagan International, Abby swore to whatever higher power there was she would never in her life take an early morning flight again. This was the last time she was letting her dad book her flight, knowing the evil bastard had probably planned for the earliest one he could find with the longest flight time imaginable.

As the plane touched down, she downed the remainder of her coffee before digging through her bag to turn on her phone. Once it fully booted up, she reached in further pulling out another phone, this one slightly outdated from her first. The old flip phone showed its age, the beige color boring and bland. It had started off as a joke really. She had given Steve the phone last year as a gag gift, poking at the fact he was still clueless about using the smart phone he had been given by S.H.I.E.L.D. but it was now seen as a way for communications deemed emergency level. The low tech kept it at a low risk for hacking, which was ideal when you didn't want any important information getting leaked.

Flipping the phone up, she waited as it turned on, gathering her items together as the doors of the plane opened. Tossing it into her bag to finish up, she stood from her seat, grabbing her carry on from overhead before deboarding the plane, looking forward to the long nap she would be taking as soon as she got back to her apartment.

She immediately paused when she felt her purse vibrate. She knew it wasn't her smartphone, the music of AC/DC would have been blaring out if it had been. Which made the only other option the flip phone. Frantically digging through her bag, she pulled it out, her eyes widening when she flipped it open, seeing the multiple missed calls all coming from the same number: Steve's.

Her fingers quickly punched the numbers in, the phone barely to her ear when he was picking up. "Thank god! I've been calling you for the last 3 hours. It's an hour and a half tops from New York I thought-".

"Whoa, whoa slow it down Captain Popsicle I can barely understand you. I was on a long flight courtesy of dear old dad. What the hell's going on?" She heard Steve take an audible breath through the phone, hearing him speaking with someone on his side. "Steve your freaking me out talk."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been compromised, Fury was killed." She heard the words but her brain wasn't processing them. What Steve was saying had to be the world's worst joke. He would start laughing at any moment with a 'got you' and she'd be on his ass about scaring her half to death.

"Abby? Abby are you still there?" She was quickly brought back to the present, her hand tightening on the phone up to her ear.

"I swear to god Rogers this is not a funny joke-"

"Stark this is not a joke." Hearing Natasha's voice take over instantly had Abby on alert. The use of her last name was only ever reserved for when things got serious. And knowing Nat it was.

"Holy shit...what..how...why haven't I heard anything?" Abby rambled, the realization that this was in fact happening hitting her full force.

"Will explain it all when you get here. We're sending you an address. Do not contact anyone else, only call this number on the phone. We don't know who we can trust right now." Steve said, taking back over from Natasha.

"Shit there's going to be a car out there sent from S.H.I.E.L.D. to take me back to my place." Abby started to move, keeping her walk brisk, trying to hopefully not draw attention to herself, paranoia starting to creep up.

"Abby do not get into that car! Find a cab and get here as quick as you can. You may need to also ditch your other phone in case they decide to trace it." Steve suggested. Passing by a trash can, Abby quickly pulled the device from her bag, looking around before discreetly dropping it into the garbage before she continued on her way.

"Done. Send the address and I'll get there as soon as I can." Abby said, quickly disconnecting the call. A few moments later, the phone vibrated, alerting her to the new message. Reading over it carefully she headed towards the pickup zone. She tugged the hood of the baggy MIT sweatshirt, one of the many she 'borrowed' from Tony, keeping her head down as she weaved through crowds of people trying to leave the airport. Her fingers subconsciously went to the dog tags hanging under the sweatshirt, trying to quell the anxiety slowly creeping into her body.

Her eyes caught the black SUV up ahead, already knowing that was the vehicle waiting for her. Her eyes darted around before landing on a cab idling near the curb, keeping her head down and her face hidden she quickly slipped in, tugging her bag after her before rattling the address off to the driver. As the driver pulled away, Abby took the opportunity to glance back out the back window, noting the two suits exit the vehicle before rushing into the airport.

* * *

The two-story townhouse looked unassuming as Abby pulled up. It was in a quiet neighborhood, the only signs of life being the kids she had seen biking down the sidewalk. Pulling cash from her wallet, she paid the driver before stepping out. It had only been a moment before she felt her body engulfed in strong arms. Immediately recognizing them, her own arms wrapped around her arms around broad shoulders, pressing her head against his shoulder. Steve was the first to pull away, grabbing her bag and ushering her into the house, shutting and locking the door behind them.

"Took you long enough, thought this one was going to wear a hole into the floor with the amount of pacing he was doing," Natasha quipped moving to hug Abby as well, all a bit not as hard as Steve had. Abby returned it, smiling for the first time since this mess started.

"I am Tony's kid, got to live up to it all." she teased pulling away before looking over both of them. They were freshly showered she could tell but she could see the fatigue on their faces as well as the few cuts and bruises Natasha was sporting. "You guys look like hell."

"Should have seen them when they first arrived Think I may need to throw out my towels." Abby turned her head, finding the third occupant of the space leaning against the wall, his lips twitched up into a half smile.

"Abby this is Sam Wilson, a friend of mine. Sam this is Abby Stark." Steve introduced. Sam stretched his hand out, taking her offered one in a friendly shake.

"Thanks for helping them. Seems like they needed it." Abby said as Sam brushed it off.

"I mean can't exactly say no to Captain America, even if he keeps smoking me on our runs." The group laughed, the atmosphere almost falling into a sense of calm. Almost.

"You need to tell me everything that's happening." Abby said, turning to face Steve. Steve sighed, nodding towards the direction of what she assumed was the kitchen.

"There's coffee and breakfast. This is going to be a long story."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer. I do not own anything except my original characters.

"Between you and the Cap over here I'm going to have scuff marks permanently embedded on my floors." Abby heard Sam's joke but continued to pace. Her mind was still processing everything Steve and Nat had told her. Hydra, masked assassins, her grandfather's accident…

"God, I need a drink." She muttered, taking a seat in the chair across from the other three. "This entire time, Hydras been here. My father, the Avengers, we all…" Abby stopped, feeling the urge to be sick increase the more she really thought about it. "We helped enable it."

"No one knew Abby. Hydra, they were smart, smarter than we ever gave them credit." Natasha said. Abby rubbed at her eyes, cursing when she felt her eyes water behind her lids.

"My grandparents, the car accident. It was all them?" She looked to Steve, seeing his body turn rigid at her words. She knew he had known her grandfather, had been close before he went into the ice.

"They sent the Soldier after him, made it look like an accident." Steve said quietly. Abby hung her head, really wishing Sam had alcohol in his fridge at the moment.

"Do we know what the hell Project Insight is really for?" She knew how devastated her father would be, to know a project he had helped with, one he thought would do the world some good, was spearheaded by Hydra all along. She had little knowledge on the project, but from what she could deduce, having it in Hydras hands would devastate the world.

"Not really. Zola wasn't too forthcoming before we were nearly blown up." Steve stood, moving to the kitchen table were some files were strewn out. Abby had gotten a glance, catching design schematics for some type of mechanical suit. "We need to get to Sitwell, get the info out of him and then stop whatever they have planned."

"Any chances of us being able to call in Iron dad?" Natasha questioned, looking over to Abby. Shaking her head, she sighed.

"My dad and Pepper are somewhere in Yellowstone camping, no tech whatsoever. Don't think I'd get too far in flying out to them if I wanted to either. Think S.H.I.E.L.D. knows I went AWOL."

"I don't want to involve him if we can help it. Tony, he took a step back for a good reason. I don't want to pull him back in." Steve said quietly, looking over at Abby. She stood to her feet, moving to pull her hair up into a ponytail.

"Well you got me then. What's the plan? I got some background training and I could possibly grab my taser if-"

"You're staying here Abby." She paused at Steve's words, looking at him as if he had grown three heads. Before she could even refute his argument, he continued. "As much as I know your capable, we don't know what we're heading into, especially concerning this Winter Soldier. I'm not putting you in harm's way."

"Steve's right." Abby turned to Natasha, hoping the redhead would have been on her side but seeing the same steely look as Steve's, knew she was not. "Besides we need you and that big brain and hacking skills you got. We got to get into Fort Meade to get Wilsons flight suit. Think you could help us out, disable a few cameras." Natasha raised an eyebrow, a challenging smile pulling at her lips. Abby knew exactly what she was doing and god if it wasn't working.

Rolling her eyes, she nodded. "I can possibly do it. Feel like I could be more helpful though." She grumbled. Steve moved over, gently gripping her shoulder.

"I need my best girl here keeping an eye out for us. You're the only other person right now we can trust." The term of endearment finally broke through Abby. Shaking her head, she let out a puff of breath, grabbing her bag were her laptop inside.

"Alright let's get started."

* * *

Honestly, she had hoped for more of a challenge with Fort Meade. It had been a walk in the park hacking into their servers unnoticed. Switching the camera feeds to a loop gave the trio enough time to get in and get out with the EXO-7 with little to no trouble (sure Natasha did have to knock out a few guards, but they would live, at least Abby hoped).

"Nice work Abbs. We're going after Sitwell now. If anything comes up will call, keep the phone by you and keep the house locked." Abby sighed, laying her head back against the back of the couch, her laptop perched on her lap.

"Will do chorus girl." She smirked when she heard the telltale sign of snickering from the other end, knowing both Sam and Natasha heard the little nickname.

"Funny Stark." Steve said sarcastically before hanging up.

Abby was getting restless. She watched as the time slowly ticked by, her eyes going to the phone every few moments, waiting for it to ring, for anything to happen really. She hated being in the dark, not able to help. She felt utterly useless and powerless.

When nearly two hours passed with no word she had enough. Reaching for the phone she paused at the sound of car doors opening. Quickly moving to one of the front windows, she carefully peeked through one of the blinds. What greeted her had her heart dropping into her stomach. STRIKE agents pilled out of two SUVs, their guns trained and ready as they moved up the driveway.

Acting on pure adrenaline, Abby ran from the front hall, quickly grabbing the gun sitting on the coffee table Nat had left her in case of an emergency. Her hand was on the handle of the back door when she heard the front door give way, the sound echoing through the house as she bolted out the door. She hadn't made it three steps before a gun was trained between her eyes.

"Hi their sweetheart. You know this wasn't how I wanted our first date to start out." Brock Rumlows smug smile stared back at her. Her hand itched by her side were the gun lay, freezing when she heard the cock of his gun. "Oh, baby bad idea. I'd hate to mess up that pretty face, I quite like it." Her brain ran through all her firearms training, both from her father and Natasha. She knew by the time she even thought of raising the gun, her blood would be staining the concrete. With great difficulty, she let the gun drop from her hand, the metal giving a resounding clank as it met the ground.

Brocks smirk grew before he moved. Abby felt the breath leave her as she felt her body slammed to the ground, feeling cold metal wrap around her wrists before tightening. "Good girl." He whispered before hauling her back to her feet. The back door opened, two more members of his team stepping out.

"Checked the house, no sign of them." One man said. Abby glanced between them, confusion crossing her face. They were looking for people, most likely Steve and the others. What the hell had happened after they got the suit?

Abby was brought from her thoughts by a hand at her throat, before her back met the wall of the house. Brock stared at her, Abby staring back, hoping she looked as brave as she hoped she felt. "Alright cupcake you're going to tell us where Cap and the others are." So, she was right. Whatever had happened, they had gotten away. They wouldn't be here banging down doors if they still had them. Not liking her silence, he forced her head back, the back knocking into the plaster of the wall, making her wince and see stars for a moment.

"I... I don't know. Even...if I did, I wouldn't tell you douche bag." she gritted out. A part of her knew antagonizing a man holding her by the neck wasn't the smartest move but, in that moment, it was getting drowned out by the adrenaline still pumping through her.

"I don't think she knows Rumlow, let's just kill her and get back to base." The man to his left said, pulling out his gun as if to emphasize his point.

Brock turned back to Abby, smirking as he did so. "Nah were taking Miss Stark back with us. Could be of use." Before she could do anything, Rumlows fist slammed into her face. Her body crumbled to the floor before she succumbed to darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer. I do not own anything except for any original characters.

Abby can remember vividly the first time she got drunk. She had been 18 and had been out celebrating her birthday with some friends. They had been able to score convincing fake ID's and had gone bar hopping all throughout Malibu. The next day she had woken up feeling like her head was caving in. It didn't help that her father was blasting every hard rock song known to mankind throughout the house on full blast. In that moment, she had sworn off ever drinking again. Of course, that didn't last long when she turned 21.

As she groggily came too, she came the realization that being knocked out cold felt oddly like a bad hangover. There was a constant pounding against her skull as her eyes struggled to open. When she was finally able too, she saw she was in an armored vehicle. She squirmed, trying to sit up a bit more when she felt the metal of the cuffs still digging into her wrists, noticing they were now in the front.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally awake." Abby turned her head, the blurry image of Brock Rumlow coming into clarity from his seat across from her. "Afraid I might have hit your head a bit too hard there."

"Hate to disappoint but you hit like a bitch." Abby groaned, feeling the tightness of her cheek. From what she could feel, she had no broken bones, but the tightness did indicate swelling.

Rumlow laughed shaking his head. "God you Starks just don't know when to shut up huh. Anyone ever tell you that mouth could get you killed baby doll." Leaning towards her, he patted her cheek mockingly, wincing as his hand made contact with her bruised face.

"Oh go fuck yourself meathead." She muttered, instantly regretting it when his hand came down hard on her cheek again, splitting open the fresh cut.

After a few moments of silence, the vehicle finally pulled to a halt at their destination. The back door opened as the occupants filed out. Rumlow grasped Abby's arm, hauling her out behind him. Abby looked around her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was exactly. The rundown buildings didn't give her much to go on. It looked like they were near some old factories of some sort, but she had no idea where to place them. She wasn't even sure they were still in D.C.

"Come on move it." Brock barked, dragging her off and towards one of the buildings. Nothing seemed out of place, the interior filled with broken down beams, trash strewn about and old machinery sat dormant, covered in rust and mildew. It wasn't until they made it towards the back that she saw something that didn't belong. One lone elevator, the doors shiny and pristine, standing out from the old building it was housed in.

They piled into the elevator, Rumlow entering some kind of code on the touchpad before the doors closed and they were suddenly plunging down. If it hadn't been for her captor's firm grip, she would have stumbled straight to the floor.

When the elevator finally came to a stop, the metal doors opened, revealing a command center. Abby surveyed her surroundings as Brock pulled her behind him. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought she was stepping into S.H.I.E.L.D. Hell, she even saw a few badges as people strolled around and worked at computers. But she caught sight of the hydra symbol, the angry red octopus displayed proudly.

"Miss Stark good to see you again." Abby's eyes turned to slits as she turned to the new voice. Alexander Pierce strode forward, a few others following behind him. A calm smile graced his face, as if he weren't a two-faced traitor. "What do you think of our little set up?"

"Looks like shit honestly." Brocks hand moved to the back of her neck squeezing tightly causing Abby to wince. Piece moved his hand up, the grip loosening, Rumlows hand however remaining. "What the hell am I doing here?"

"Well we can't just have you running around trying to get in contact with Captain Rogers or your father for that matter. We've worked too hard on Project Insight. Tony would hate all of his hard work to go to waste." She lunged at the mention of her father and she would have strangled Pierce if it hadn't been for Rumlows hold.

"Don't you talk about him! If he knew exactly what all this was, he would have stopped you, all of you." she seethed. Her outburst hadn't even seemed to faze him, the smile still prevalent on his face. A set of doors at the far end of the hall opened, a guard rushing in and over to Pierce, whispering something to him. From his body language, Abby could sense it was something urgent. Pierce nodded, the guard rushing back the way he came. He turned back to Rumlow and Abby, his smug smile still in place.

"How much of your father do you have in you Abigail?"

* * *

A shiver ran through her body. She wasn't sure if it was from the chill of the hallway or from the fear that was now slowly creeping in. She knew the adrenaline she had been riding on would soon come crashing down and she tried to push that off as much as she could. She needed to keep her head on straight for as long as she could to come up with a plan.

"...knocked Jones clear across the room. He's alive but he won't be programing anything for a while." The man in a lab coat rattled off as he walked alongside Pierce. Abby had tried to keep up with the conversation, what she could get was something, or someone, needed tending to.

"That is where are guest will come in." As if remembering she was there Pierce turned his gaze on Abby. "I admired your tech skills Miss Stark. So did Fury." She tensed when he mentioned the deceased director. "Nick was quite fond of you if.."

"Don't talk about him." she hissed, glaring a hole into the back of his head as the group kept moving.

He ignored her. "Are Asset needs his arm recalibrated. It seems we miscalculated how powerful Captain Rogers shield truly was. It should be no problem for a Stark."

Asset. The name rolled around her head, trying to remember where she had heard it. She knew she had, the name sounding too familiar. It would have been given sometime in the last few hours, when she was being briefed by Natasha and Steve, when they had spoken of..

Abby's feet faltered when it finally clicked. The Asset they spoke of was the Winter Soldier. The assassin who had killed Fury, who had tried to kill her friends, who had killed her grandparents.

"It's alright sweetheart, maybe he'll take a liking to you and not crush your skull." Rumlow laughed as he continued to haul her down to what could most likely be her death.

The group continued, Abby noticing the increase in guards the further they went. Yeah this wasn't making her feel any safer. They finally came to a stop outside a room, the guard stepping aside and letting the group pass. The room looked like a regular waiting area, one she would typically see in a cop show, a place where detectives would gather to observe their perp. There were a few other people in lab coats, taking down notes and typing away at laptops. The far-right wall was all window, most likely a two-way mirror. Abby tried to get a closer look, noticing for some odd reason it resembled some kind of vault.

As if on autopilot she moved closer to the window, realizing Brock had released his hold on her arm. She stepped up to the glass, finally getting a good look at the man that sent a shot of fear through her body.

He was set up in a chair, something that resembled some diabolical dentist's chair. Black metal restraints wrapped around the flesh of his right arm, another band across his shirtless chest. He was naked from the waist up, his chest rising and falling as he took in a ragged breath. His head was hung, dark hair falling around like a black curtain. Finally, her eyes moved to the gleaming metal of his left arm. She had listened as Steve and Natasha described the arm but finally seeing it with her own eyes was a different experience altogether. The metal gleamed under the fluorescents of the lights above. It looked solid and smooth, the metal contrasting with the bright red star displayed proudly on the shoulder. She wondered briefly what type of metal it was made of when the assassin, almost as if he sensed he was being observed, finally lifted his head.

Abby had never felt what it was like to get a punch to the gut but this was probably the closest she would ever come. She felt as if all the air from her lungs were taken, her cuffed hands moving to find purchase on a nearby chair. A concussion, that was the only thing she could think of. Rumlow must have hit her harder than she initially thought and now she was in some concussion induced fever dream. That was the only thing that made sense with what she was seeing through the glass.

"B-Bucky Barnes?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer. I do not own anything except my original characters.**

**Authors Note: Thank you all for your amazing support! I'm really glad you all are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. Please feel free to leave me some reviews if you can because I love hearing what you all think. Enjoy!**

"I see you recognize the Winter Soldier." Pierce stepped up to the glass beside her, his eyes observing the Asset-no Bucky. "I heard Captain Rogers had a similar reaction."

"How is-this isn't real. James was killed when he fell from a train. From that height...no human could survive…" Bucky's image was starting to get blurry as she fought to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape.

"Yes, a human couldn't survive it but at the time Sergeant Barnes wasn't _all _human. Your a history fan? I take it you know all about the Sergeant's time in the war." He had said it as if he were having polite conversation to a colleague and that made Abby want to slam his face against the glass. A broken nose would do him some good.

But he was right. "His regiment was captured by Hydra. They were taken to a weapons factory. Bucky was-" She froze, her eyes turning to regard Pierce. "The experiments?"

"Dr. Zola was trying to replicate the super soldier serum that worked so well on Rogers. It seemed that James Barnes fit the bill. The serum kept him alive after the fall. Lost his arm in the tragedy but we saw to it."

She shook her head, unable to fully believe any of this. She had learned about Bucky, she had heard stories from Steve. He was good through and through. Almost as good as Steve. There was no way he could be this weapon before her.

"Your confused? I can understand that." As if her read her mind, Pierce continued on. "It took quite a bit of _conditioning _to mold him into the perfect weapon. He lasted longer than they had thought but everyone breaks eventually. They wiped all traces of James Buchanan Barnes and the Winter Soldier was born, the Fist of Hydra. Awakened from cyro when he needs to help our vision afloat." Abby lost the battle as a few tears fell down her cheeks, her eyes shutting tightly. They had turned him into a shell, they had taken everything that he had been, everything good and ripped it all away for their own benefit. They had turned him into a machine, a weapon, a killer.

She hung her Steve must be devastated.

Brock grabbed her wrists, pulling a key from his pocket. She felt the pressure loosen from around her wrists, rubbing them as the cuffs were pulled away. "You try anything princess." Brock tapped the side of his gun for emphasis. Abby didn't need him to elaborate.

Before she knew it, she was being shoved into the room, the large metal door slamming shut, echoing through the room. Everything was silent, all except the humming from the machines. Abby didn't move for a moment, her back turned to the other occupant in the room, something she realized might not be the best idea with a super soldier assassin.

Summoning every ounce of courage, she could, she slowly turned to face her "patient". He had not moved an inch from where he sat, his dark eyes trained on her.

"Um hi." She tried at a smile, trying to seem as less threatening as possible. He gave her back the same blankness, unnerving her to her core. "So I hear you got some arm problems. I'm going to try and work on that if it's ok?" Nothing. He remained silent, just starring at her. Abby hesitantly moved closer, noticing that he followed her every movements, probably assessing if she were a threat. She made it to the stool that sat next to the chair, the computer monitors open and ready. She noticed the tools attached to a mechanical arm, ready for instructions.

Up close, she was able to take him all in. Getting a better look at his left arm, she guessed the metal was titanium, the arm made up of multiple plates that seemed to whirl and move in place. She saw were the damage was, a large gap in the plates near the elbow, the perfect size for Steve's shield.

She also noticed how tense he was, his muscles taut, his fists clenched as they laid on the arm rests. She felt her heart crack, recognizing the actions. She had seen similar actions in those of former POW'S. He was ready for something, and from the look of the chair that he was strapped to, that something must not have been pleasant.

"You're not the doctor." Abby's head snapped up when she heard the words, quiet but still audible.

It was the first time he had spoken, startling Abby slightly. His voice sounded a bit hoarse, almost like he didn't use it too much. Abby's heart fluttered however when, under it all, she heard a faint hint of a Brooklyn drawl. So, they hadn't completely wiped everything about Bucky.

"No but I do know a bit about this tech stuff to help you out. My names Abby." Tinkering with the keyboard she glanced back at the assassin in front of her. "Is there something I can call you?"

"Soldat." Was his only response. Abby chewed on her lip, drawing blood as she felt her anger boil. That's all Hydra saw him as. Bastards couldn't even give him a name.

"Alright soldier it is." Getting a bit braver she rolled the stool closer, her eyes moving over the metal of the arm, assessing the damage that needed to be repaired. Steve's shield really did do a number on it. She noticed the restraints, how they dug into him. It looked painful just looking at them.

As she examined him, she couldn't help but let her eyes linger. She had only ever seen this man on the pages of textbooks and on the old film reels that played in the museum. She had known he was a handsome man but in person it was a whole other ball game. His built was a bit larger, the toned body he once had bulked up a bit. She could probably than the serum he had been given. His face was still had the movie star good looks but now there was an edge to it. The light that she saw in it every time she watched a reel frame was gone, replaced by the emptiness that took over. The playful smile that usually adorned his face was no where to be seen and probably hadn't been seen in quite some time. Her cheeks tinged red, quickly shaking those thoughts away. They were definitely not important in this moment.

"Those don't look to comfortable." She noted, met only with silence once again. Chewing on her lip, she knew how stupid her next move was, one that could very well get her killed when she saw the large body sized dent in the wall. "Can I make a deal with you? You let me work, and not bash my head against the wall, I'll take the restraints off?" It was hard to read the man in front of her, his facial features not giving anything away. Taking a large leap of faith, she looked over the controls, typing in the right keys. The clink of the restraints retracting echoed off the walls.

Abby paused, waiting for any moment now to feel her body hit the concrete of the wall behind her or the feel of metal around her neck. When neither happened, she chanced a look at Bucky, his gaze pinned on her. Taking this as a good sign, she gave him a small smile before turning to the computer and getting started.

The silence was nearly suffocating as the tools moved, working at repairing the damage on the metal appendage. Abby picked up the controls quickly, noting how similar it was to the controls her father used when fixing one of his suits. That thought worried her. How much did they know about her fathers work with his suits?

When she was finally happy with her work, she rolled up next to the chair, carefully examining the metal plates. Up close, her eyes drifted to where flesh met machine. She felt bile rise in her throat, doing everything she could to push it down as she examined the scars that adorned his shoulder. They were puckered and angry, giving her the hint that his comfort and care weren't the top of their priorities when they had done it.

"Why are you crying?" his quite question broke her out of her train of thoughts. She blinked, suddenly realizing the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. Turning her head, she quickly wiped at them.

"Sorry just...does it hurt?" she questioned. When he gave her a look of confusion, she moved her hand, her fingers brushing against the rough scarring. She quickly removed it when she felt him tense, afraid she may have overstepped some line. "Sorry I didn't mean.."

"Its fine. Just …not used to gentle touching is all." His matter of fact admission made her want to cry again.

Trying to shift focus away from that topic, she thumped lightly on the plating of the arm. "Well your arms good to go. Steve's shield really did a number on it." Abby gasped when she felt a hand (thankfully flesh) wrap around her forearm suddenly. She noticed Bucky's shift. His eyes looked at her, confusion swirling like a raging ocean.

"The man on the bridge? The one who did this? You know him. They won't tell me anything. He called me..Bucky. Why the hell do I feel like I know him?" His voice sounded pained, like he was trying to recall something that was just out of reach for him. This bit of information sparked something in Abby. Maybe Hydra hadn't wiped everything out of him. Maybe, deep under everything they had created was the same man as before.

Abby felt the pressure from her forearm disappear when something caught his eye. She watched as tentative fingers reached forward, grasping the chain of the dog tags around her neck. During her encounter with Rumlow, they must have somehow worked their way from under her shirt. "32..557..Sargent James….Buchanan Barnes." he repeated the words carved into the metal, Abby watching as the wheels in his head turned.

Before she would say anything, anything about him, about Steve, about his past, the door to the room was opening and she was being slammed up against the wall, a hand tight around her throat. Brock tsked tapping the barrel of his gun against her temple. "What did I say about behaving yourself sweetheart?" Abby struggled to breath, her fingers clawing at the hand around her throat, trying to pry them away.

A flash of movement caught both of their eyes. She saw Bucky standing, his body taught with unreleased tension, his fists clenched as he starred at the two. She could faintly hear the whirl of the metal plates as they shifted with his stance.

The STRIKE team quickly turned their weapons on him. "Stand down now asset!" A man (she remembered his name was Rollins?) barked out. Bucky stayed where he was, his eyes never leaving Brocks.

Abby was surprised as he started to laugh, wondering if he had finally just lost it. "Well, this is an interesting turn here. Got a little crush soldier? Getting a little hot under the collar?" he turned his gaze back to Abby, his eyes dragging slowly up and down her body. She glared back, wanting more than anything to claw his eyes out.

"Can't really blame you. She's a nice piece of ass." She flinched when she heard his gun cock. "Now sit back down and comply or I'll splatter the walls with her brains." Bucky's eyes locked with yours, not moving. His teeth gritted when the gun pressed to her head, Abby biting her lip to hold back the whimper as the metal dug into flesh.

After a beat, Bucky slowly sunk back into the chair, the restraints slamming back into place once more. When he was fully secured, Brock holstered his gun, yanking Abby into his hold. The door opened as Pierce stepped in, a team of scientists following him in.

"Thank you for your help Miss Stark." He regarded her before turning to one of the men in the room. "Prep him and wipe him."

Abby looked at him, confused. "What the hell are you going to do to him?" No one said anything as she watched as Bucky reluctantly opened his mouth, a bite guard shoved in. His eyes never left hers, keeping her gaze until the chair tipped back. Abby watched in horror as a contraption came down, locking in on both sides of his head.

Abby didn't know what was louder, the whirring of the electricity, Bucky's own anguished screams, or her own sobs. She watched as his body convulsed, restrained in the chair as the electricity coursed through his head.

"STOP IT! PLEASE!" She screamed, thrashing in Brocks hold as he stood their, forcing her to watch.

"Hope he remembers you sweetheart." Brock whispered mockingly, before dragging her from the room, Bucky's screams following her down the corridor.


	6. Chapter 6

FINALLY, I HAVE AN UPDATE! I am so sorry for the long update. I'm hoping that due to all the craziness in the world and with my new free time I could do some more writing because my Bucky Barnes muse is calling to me. So please enjoy and remember leave some comments.

Disclaimer. Do not own anything except my original characters.

_Abby heard her footsteps echo through the corridor around her. Looking around, she noticed she was no longer starring at the grey walls of her cell but wood paneled walls. She continued her journey, stopping briefly when she passed a mirror, the image stopping her in her tracks. The oversized MIT sweatshirt and black yoga pants were replaced by a deep red dress. She ran her hand down the dress, feeling the smooth fabric beneath her fingertips. It wasn't a style she was used to, the fit and cut straight from one of the old movies she watched as a kid. Her hair was no longer haphazardly pulled into a ponytail, put curled and pinned like a 40's pin up model._

_The sound of music had her turning from the image before her as she tried to place where it was coming from. Her feet, as if on instinct, started to move down the hall. She noticed the music grow in tempo as she grew closer, cheers mixing with the sound of trumpets. A pair of double doors opened before her, the scene in front of her leaving her more confused than she was. _

_The room was filled with people, an air of merriment hanging over the crowd. There were couples moving on the dance floor, following along to the band on the stage before them. Men in uniforms she had only seen in history books drank and laughed, as women dressed similarly to Abby pulled them to the dance floor. _

"_Ok…this has to be a dream. That's all this is." Abby spoke, all the while moving further into the room. The overwhelming sense of joy was infectious. Even if this was a dream as she thought, she couldn't help but get swept up by it. _

"_Need a partner doll?" The voice had Abby stopping in her tracks. It was a voice she had heard only once; all abet slightly different. The Brooklyn drawl was more pronounced, a sense of hope held in the words that where spoken. Slowly turning around, Abby came face to face with a beaming James Barnes. _

"_B-Bucky Barnes?" he looked so much different from the man now called the Winter Soldier. He resembled the man she had seen in the many photos and film reels at the Smithsonian, right down to the pressed uniform adorning his frame. The mischievous smile made his face light up, the blue of his eyes bright and shinning with youthfulness she had not seen when she had tended to his arm. It made her chest ache even more. _

"_Got to be a pretty popular guy for a pretty dame like you to know my name." Dream Bucky (as Abby was now referring to him) stepped forward, his hand held out towards her. "Hope that means you'll dance with me?"_

_Abby knew in her heart this wasn't real, that any moment she would wake up, stuck in a cell surrounded by Hydra agents. But looking at the man before her, she found herself taking the invitation. Her hand slipped into his, a warmth spreading through her like she had never felt before. It felt comforting, safe, like she was home. "Lead the way soldier."_

_The music suddenly slowed until silence enveloped the space. Abby turned her head, the people that had surrounded her suddenly gone, the room now empty. She felt a chill run up her body, dread settling deep in her chest. The warmth in her hand was gone, replaced by cold metal against her skin._

_Quickly turning, she choked back a sob, the winter soldier standing where Bucky had once been. The bright blue eyes were replaced with cold ice as they stared her down. She tried to pull away, the iron grip tightening to a bruising strength. _

"_Bucky please." Her voice trembled as he stood there stoic. The grip was soon lost on her hand, the unforgiving metal wrapping around her throat in an instant before he started to squeeze…_

Abby gasped, shooting up from the cot with a start, her hand absent mindedly moving to her throat. She swore she could still feel the cold of the metal wrapped around her neck as she tried to gather her bearings. Slowly as she surveyed the room, she realized she was still locked in the same room Rumlow had tossed her into. She hadn't known how long ago that was but seeing as she finally succumbed to exhaustion as her adrenaline wore off, she guessed it had to be the next day.

Her eyes traveled over to the lone door that stood on the opposite wall, almost taunting her. She had spent the better part of the first two hours locked up banging on it to no avail. She had then started to search the room, trying and failing to find any weak spots or even something she would use to get the lock open, again to no avail.

She sighed, pressing her head back against the cement wall. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to keep it together. Crying wasn't going to help her get out of the room any quicker than she was. All she could do at that moment was hope they slipped up some how and she could escape.

"God I hope Steve's doing better than I am." She said, hoping that whatever the hell was going on out there, her friends were doing something to stop it, even if she couldn't be of any help.

She played with the tags around her neck. Normally they acted as a sort of security blanket, having something to physically hold onto to keep her shit together. Right now, all they did was bring back all she had witnessed in that vault.

Bucky alive.

The vacant look in his eyes.

His screams…

Abby quickly blocked them, not wanting to relive that particular moment less she start crying again.

She was startled when the lights cut out, before what looked like emergency lights kicked on. The red hue of the lights made everything eerier than before. Just as she started to wonder what the hell was going on, an alarm sounded throughout the complex. Abby quickly moved to her feet, pausing when she noticed the door slightly ajar.

"Oh this cant be that easy." She hesitantly moved towards the door, not trusting that she had this much good luck. Her eyes widened when she gripped the handle, the door slowly pulling open with ease. "Ok I may need to buy a lottery ticket when I get out of here."

Peeking down both corridors, she moved from the room. She turned to the right, trying to remember the same path that Rumlow had taken when he brought her down, the halls all resembling the same shade of grey. She made her way down the hall, her eyes and ears peeled for any sign of agents, the alarm still blaring all around her. Abby quickly pressed herself against the wall as she got to the end of the hallway, catching noise from the other side.

"…why he's here but he's on the war path. He's killing everything in his sight." Abby slowly turned to look down the hall, noticing a group of what she assumed were scientist as they ran down what looked like an emergency exit. The sound of gunfire jolted her from her pause. Checking to make sure the corridor was clear, she made a dash for it, the door the group had exited right in her line of sight.

Abby screamed as her body was slammed to the ground, the impact knocking all the wind from her lungs. She gasped as a swift kick was landed to her side, followed swiftly by another that had her rolling onto her back.

"The little mouse escaped her cage I see." Her attacker laughed, standing over her prone form. Abby blinked back her tears, the bleary image of Rollins coming in clear. Before she could think of trying anything, he was on her, his legs pinning her on either side, his hands wrapped securely around her throat before starting to squeeze. She struggled, her hands flailing, trying to claw at his face that was just out of reach.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to leave your body outside, leave something for dear old daddy to bury." His laugh rang in her ears as everything started to slow down. She felt her own body starting to slacken, her struggles slowing as less, and less oxygen was coming in. She could feel her vision start to darken as she came to the terrifying realization that this was how she would die. In that moment, in some sick way she hoped he would keep that promise, that her dad would have a body to bury, that he would have some closure to her death.

She didn't register the clicking of a gun barrel until she heard the pop. Something splattered against her face before the hands around her neck loosened, before they completely disappeared. Taking the distraction, Abby greedily sucked in as much air as she could. She turned her head slightly, gasping when she saw the body of Rollins slumped beside her, his eyes wide, a large bullet hole gaping from his back, her bleary vision took in a dark form above her. A glint of metal caught her eye and she knew exactly who was standing over her.

"B-Bucky." Her voice was hoarse, her vision starting to blur as she felt herself slip into unconsciousness. She watched as he crouched towards her, before succumbing to the darkness.

The consistent sound of beeping was the first thing Abby noticed. Over the machines, she could make out the faint sound of talking, the voice hushed. She strained to hear, her heart thumping when she finally recognized her father's voice.

"Dad." She heard him pause, quickly disconnecting from what she assumed was a phone call before she heard the scrapping of chair legs. She fought back the urge to sleep, forcing her eyes to finally open. When they did, she took in the sight of a disheveled Tony Stark.

"Hey sprout. Thought I was going to have to pull out the old smelling salts to wake your ass up." Tony smiled but Abby could see how forced it was. The bags under his eyes and the uncontrolled scruff on his face were a clear giveaway to the worry he was trying to mask. Her dad took a lot of pride in his appearance. For him to look like this, she knew just how worried he had been.

She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. "You know us Starks, dramatic and all. I needed my beauty sleep." Abby saw the shift of emotions cross her dads face, as he took her hand in his. "How did I get to the hospital? Is everything ok? Is Steve and Nat-"

"Whoa, whoa slow it down kid. Hydra hasn't taken over the world thanks to you and Cap. He's actually down the hall getting his boo boos looked at as well." He answered. Abby let out a sigh of relief, letting her head fall back against the pillow. "Ask for you, anonymous caller. Didn't give any info just that there as an unconscious female in need of medical attention and gave the coordinates." Tony shifted, running his free hand over his face. She squeezed his hand when she took note of the glassiness in his eyes. "Romanoff was able to get in contact with us and when I heard…god you can't ever scare me like that. You're not allowed to you hear me. This family can only deal with one person putting their life on the line." Abby was careful with the iv and wires attached to her as she sat up, moving forward to wrap her arms around her dad. She felt him do the same, moving to press a kiss to her cheek.

"I'll try not to make it a habit." She whispered, pulling away as she wiped at her eyes trying to stop her tears. Tony smiled, suddenly jumping to his feet before retrieving a metal briefcase.

"Good to here. I may also have something to help with that." Moving back to the vacated chair, he set the briefcase on the side of the bed facing Abby who looked at it curiously. After a few moments, Tony rolled his eyes. "Are you just going to stare at it or open it kiddo?"

Abby reached forward, pulling the clasps free before slowly lifting the lid. What she saw made her stop, her eyes shooting up and to her father who had a shit eating grin on his face. " Dad…are these..?"

"Repulsors? Yep. And before you even think about putting those on your getting the Iron Man 101 course before you blow someone's head off." Her fingers moved hesitantly, running over the oval shaped metal that lay before her. They looked exactly like her fathers in his suit, although hers had a purple color around the edge, her favorite.

"Wait does this mean I'm getting my own suit?" Tony quickly shut the case, pulling it away as Abby grinned.

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves sprout. I'm going to go see if Pepper's here with some food." Standing to his feet, Tony moved towards the door.

"Remember I look good in purple pops." Was all he heard before he exited the room, Abby dissolving into laughter as he grumbled under his breath.

"I've created a monster."

It was nearly a week later before she found herself stood outside Steve's apartment. She opened her bag, digging through it before pulling out the spare key she had made (without Steve's permission of course). The first time she had come in unannounced, her head was nearly taken off by one vibranium shield. Since then, she knew to announce herself.

Before letting herself in, she let her eyes glance back to the door besides Steve's, where his neighbor "Kate" (or now Sharon) had lived. That had been a surprise that she had not seen coming when Steve and Nat had told her. No matter what Steve would say, Abby would hold her ground on her initial judgment that Sharon liked him. She was rarely ever wrong with these things (hell she had called it with her dad and Pepper long before they made it official). She just hoped this didn't ruin anything that could be.

Bringing her hand up she knocked loudly. "Hope your decent because I'm coming in spandex," she called before inserting the key and opening the door. Stepping in, she navigated through the few moving boxes by the door before finding Steve in the kitchen as he packed up what little kitchen items he had. "So heard you took up my old mans offer to stay at the tower?"

Chuckling, Steve glanced over before closing up the box. "Temporarily, only till I find a place in Brooklyn that doesn't cost an arm and a leg." Moving further into the kitchen, her eyes landed on some folders scattered on the simple dinning table. Steve watched as she opened the first one, the frozen face of James Barnes starring back at her.

"Is this everything?" She asked quietly as Steve joined her where she stood. He looked over the folder for what felt like the millionth time.

"It's everything Nat could get for me. I don't know how but I'm going to bring him back. I failed him once I'm not doing it again." Abby looked over at her friend, seeing the anguish clearly in his eyes.

"Didn't think you wouldn't. Plus, you got Sam as your new wing man, pun intended. And hey I got a few sources that I can-"

"Absolutely not Abby." Steve turned sharply; his focus now directed at the younger Stark. "Bucky's my friend but… what Hydra did to him he's a lethal weapon. He nearly killed me. You are not getting near this."

"That's real cute you think you can stop me sparkles." Abby turned, starring down Steve. "I'm helping no matter what you say. If that means going rogue on my own then so be it." Steve moved to speak but Abby stopped him. "You weren't there when he was getting fixed up. You didn't see the confusion, the pain, how much he was trying to grasp on to any shred of reality. You weren't there when they strapped him down and scrambled his brain like an egg." Steve's eyes shut; the images conjured up making him feel ill.

Glancing down, Abby continued. "I didn't tell anyone, but it was Bucky who saved my life. Rollins nearly killed me, and Bucky shot him. It was him that made the 911 call I know it had to be. And," her hand instinctively moved to her collar, pulling it back slightly. "Bucky's tags were gone. I think he saw them and something clicked I don't know. I don't know if he even has them or they got lost but I want to believe they triggered something. I had those with me since I was a kid. I have a connection to him, maybe not as deep as yours but it's there. So, you best believe I'm going to help."

The silence between the two stretched out before Steve finally spoke. "Your dad won't allow it." Steve pointed out, something Abby was all too familiar with.

"That's if he finds out and before you go all boy scout on me its not lying just bending the truth to suit the narrative." She said, Steve chuckling a bit before growing serious.

"Ok, but you have to remember we don't know who were going to find." Abby gave him a small smile, moving to grasp his hand in hers.

"Were going to bring him home, if it's the last thing we do."


End file.
